“Abhorsen” by Garth Nix

Back of the Book:

In the years since the publication of Sabriel, Garth Nix has proven himself one of the most accomplished fantasy writers around. Now he has completed the hotly anticipated conclusion of a trilogy that ranks with the finest fantasy published today. For Abhorsen continues the story of Lirael, formerly Second Assistant Librarian, now Abhorsen-in-Waiting and charged with maintaining the border between Life and Death. Together with Prince Sam, Mogget, and the Disreputable Dog, Lirael must forestall the waking of an unspeakable evil before it has the chance to wield its ultimate powers of destruction.

Suna Dasi’s Review on Goodreads.com:

After all is said and done, Sameth is still not cut out for certain things: He’ll never be a sword-wielding warrior, a bell-wielding Death witch, or even much of a ruler. He is a maker, a keeper of the Charter, a nurturer of Magic, and as such his cerebral demands and skills overwhelm his physical capabilities.

The inversion of these gender roles is incredibly powerful because they are completely matter of fact. No “But you’re a girl.” dialogue in sight. Garth Nix, I salute you. (read the entire review here)

The very worst thing about this book is Chlorr? She’s a bad person… Yeah, that works; since I can’t think of anything else to put in the “worst” section, we’ll just drop in one of the villains.

The very best thing about this book is – of course – Mogget! If only I wasn’t committed to keeping as many spoilers out of my reviews as possible I can tell you why this particular cat-shaped creature is so incredibly amazing! ^_^ And people wonder why I love cats. In real life and fiction, they make the best characters!